This memorial
was something very special, many people on and off stage said so. I would
say, it was the best memorial since the very first one (1994, shortly after
Lee's passing), which in my eyes/ears was unbeatable, simply because it
was the first time when I saw the ''old'' Feelgoods play together again.
Even Wilko joined his old band mates Sparko and The Big Figure, first time
ever since the split from Dr Feelgood about 2 decades ago. In addition
to this, it was the first and only time when I saw one of my other fave
bands, The Inmates.

Every look
into the pleased faces of the audience who followed the exciting appearances
and ongoings on stage, every stroll through the lobby and hallway prooved,
here was something truly special going on. Happy faces everywhere, people
dancing, drinking, chatting, laughing. Great. Everything was perfect, and
obviously everyone enjoyed having a good time. Old and new faces on- and
off-stage, although the majority of people knows each other from recent
memorial shows and/or Feelgood gigs. It was very nice to meet up again
with Chris&Sophie & Frankie and ''the Feelgood bunch'', dear Nigel
and his girl friend (sorry I had time for a biiiiig hug only), my special
London based ''Feelgood partner'' Mark F., John B. and his wife, not to
forget the 2 ''guys from our special security section'' (smile), and Jimmie,
the Inmates fan from Scotland (I'll not forget to send the cds!) and and
and... Also it was nice to meet fans from other countries (too many to
list, but a special thanks goes to Bob from Boston, for the nice video
tape!). I even crashed into a handsome bloke from my hometown Hannover
in Germany (what a pity he moved to Freiburg years ago...). Ah, yes, the
Dutch biker gang also was present again (opening breakfast the next day
with a Budweiser, of course, while us Feelgood-merchandisers Pete ''Baldrick''
and me sipped our tea).
Musicwise there were no wishes left open. One highlight followed the other.
Not a single minute of boredom! It went ''bang-bang-bang''. Wonderful.
Impossible to pick the ''best of the night'' because the complete night
was breathtakingly good. Nevertheless I have to say, my personal highlight
was the surprise appearance of ''Canvey's son'' Lew Lewis, who joined the
Feelgoods during ''Help me'' (which I think makes double-sense in relation
to Lew). What a delight (and how lightening) to see him in a good shape,
after all the bad news and rumours during the passed 2 years or so (see
Lew Lewis special page). I have to admit I spent
a long time of the later show sitting with Lew and my friend Warren Kennedy
(thanks for the inspiration and good fun!) chatting in the gangway between
the venue and the hotel rooms. Lew signed his fabulous photo in the Feelgood
Story book for me, he said he's very grateful for the support he received
through the website (remember my message board ''notes to postcards'' thing?)
when he was seriously ill. It was touching. So again, many thanks to the
fans and all the musicians who participated! - Anyway, silly enough I left
the signed book in the gangway and someone else picked it up. Unfortunately
not to return it to the receiption or bar staff, but to keep it for him/herself.
After the party in John B.'s room I recognized the loss, but the book was
gone (no surprise...). Very sad and upset I went to bed, hoping to receive
the book back the next morning somehow. Unluckily this did not happen.(Addition May 26th, 2003:) The ''searching
for the lost book'' campaign at this website went out a success. Today
I received back the Feelgood Story book! Check the Lew
Lewis special page for the
whole story and a scan of the autograph.~ Gabi.

Sorry
folks, I took no photos from the Two Timers, Mike Sanchez, Paul Shuttleworth
and the other line-up constellations. I spent much time to chat with many
people, which was great too. Like I usually say, the memorials are the
days when I wish to be able to split (at least) into two persons! But don't
worry, there were quite a few friends and fans taking photos, some of them
promised to send their material to complete the ''big overview''. So check
back and have a look at the Links to more
photos of the 10th Lee Memorial.~ Gabi

ADDITION
on June 18th, 2003: Mark Fielder has emailed three photos he took
from some ''Vintage Feelgoods'' and me, hanging out in the gangway of the
Oysterfleet. It's GYPIE MAYO
(guitar), THE BIG FIGURE
(drums) and SPARKO
(bass):